Sunshade assembly



Aug. 1, 1967 w WENGER SUNSHADE ASSEMBLY Filed June 22, 1965 INVENTOR.Zia/fer We/yer ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,333,886 SUNSHADE ASSEMBLYWalter Wenger, Rochester, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation,Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 22, 1965, Ser. No.466,017 3 Claims. (Cl. 296-97) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A vehicle bodysunshade is formed of plastic material and has a continuous pocket alongone edge thereof. A support rod extends through the pocket, and a wiremember, shaped to the shape of the pocket, fits in the pocket andfrictionally engages the support rod to adjustably mount the sunshade onthe rod. In one form, the wire member has a plurality of spaced loops,each having its bight portions spaced from the rod and its generallyparallel legs engaging opposite sides of the rod. The legs areinterconnected by straight portions which function as small torsion rodsincreasing the frictional gripping of the legs to the rod. The ends ofthe rod are frictionally secured to the support rod. In another form,the loops are of oval shape and the oval portions grip the outer surfaceof the rod. The legs of the oval portions are interconnected by straightportions which function as small torsion rods increasing the frictionalgripping of the oval portions. The ends of the wire member arefrictionally secured within grooves in the rod.

This invention relates to sunshade assemblies and more particularly toan improved vehicle body sunshade assembly.

One feature of this invention is that it provides an improved vehiclebody sunshade assembly. Another feature of this invention is that theassembly includes a preformed wire member which mounts a sunshade on asupport rod. A further feature of this invention is that the preformedwire member includes a plurality of torsionally interconnected loopswhich straddle and engage opposite portions of the support rod. Yetanother feature of this invention is that at least certain of the loopsare located parallel to each other and in planes located angularly tothe axis of the support rod. Still another feature of this invention isthat successive loops are located parallel to each other. Yet a furtherfeature of this invention is that alternate loops are located parallelto each other and successive adjacent loops are located angularly toeach other. Still another feature of this invention is that the wiremember is preassembled to the support rod and the sunshade includes apocket or receiving portion which receives both the wire member and therod to rotatably mount the sunshade on the rod. Still a further featureof'this invention is that the wire loops are generally of ellipticalshape and engage opposite portions of the support rod and anintermediate portion thereof.

These and other features of the assembly of this invention will bereadily apparent from the following specification and drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a partially broken away elevational view of a sunshadeassembly according to one embodiment of this invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken generally along the planeindicated by line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged partial perspective view showly along the planeindicated by line 55 of FIGURE 4; and

FIGURE 6 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of FIGURE 4.

Referring now to FIGURES 1 through 3 of the drawings, a sunshadeassembly designated generally 10 according to one embodiment of thisinvention includes a sunshade 12, a support rod 14 and a Wire member 16which interconnects the sunshade and support rod and rotatably mountsthe sunshade on the rod.

The sunshade 12 is preferably formed of plastic and includes oppositeside walls or portions 18 and 20 which are generally asymmetrical ofeach other and are preferably formed from an integral sheet of plasticmaterial. These side walls are secured to each other along their matingedge portions and also along an intermediate area designated generally22 to provide a pocket or loop portion 24 for the sunshade.

The support rod 14 is of conventional structure and includes adjacentone end thereof a laterally bent portion 26 which provides a mountingportion for mounting the support rod on a vehicle body header in aconventional manner so that the rod 14- can swing generally aboutvertically disposed axes defined by the portion 26. The mounting of thesupport rod on the body forms no part of this invention.

The wire member 16 is preformed from a single piece The loops 28 areformed in the fiat with the integral linear joining portions 30'.Thereafter, the loops 28 are bent slightly angularly to the portions 30so as to be disposed in generally successive parallel relationship withrespect to each other and to lie in planes located angularly to the rod14 which defines the axis of rotation of the sunshade 12. The sides orleg portions 32 of the loops 28 frictionally engage diametricallyopposite portions of rod 14 and the bight portions 34 of the loopsintermediate these legs are spaced from rod 14. The end loops 36 arehalf loops and the terminal legs thereof include reversely bent hookportions 38 which tightly grip the rod 14 over substantially half of thecircumference or periphery thereof. The linear portions 30' are alignedwith each other longitudinally of the rod 14 and act as a series oftorsion bars tending to twist the loops 28 into coplanar relationshipand thus enhance the frictional gripping force of the leg portions 32 ofthe loops against the rod 14.

After the wire member 16 is formed, it is then preferably mounted on thesupport rod 14 by inserting the rod through the loops 28 and the endloops 36 so that the legs or portions 32 of each loop frictionallyengage the diametrically opposed portions of the rods and the hookportions 38 tightly engage the rod. Thereafter the support rod 14 andWire member 16 are inserted into the pocket 24 of the sunshade so thatthe portions 30* are located immediately adjacent the join area 22 ofthe sunshade to thereby rotatably mount the sunshade on the support rod.The wire member 16 will move with the sunshade about the support rod 14and hold the sunshade in various adjusted positions relative thereto.The loops 38 prevent axial movement of the wire member 16 relative tothe support rod 14.

FIGURES 4 through 6 show another embodiment of this invention and likenumerals have been used for like parts.

The support rod 40 of this embodiment is the same as the support rod 14except that it includes an annular groove 42 adjacent each end thereof.The wire member 44 is similar to the wire member 16 in that it includesa plurality of loops 46 integrally joined by linear portions 48 whichare located generally parallel to the axis of rotation of the sunshade12. It will be noted that the loops 46 are generally of oval orelliptical shape and that the opposed bight portions 50 of each loopengage diametrically opposite portions of the rod 40 while theintermediate bight portion 52 of each loop engages the upper portion ofthe rod or portion intermediate the diametrically opposite portions sothat each loop 46 engages the rod 40 over a greater peripheral extentthan does each loop 28 of the wire member 16 The linear portions 48which interconnect the loops are joined to the portions 50 of each loopby lateral portions 54. Each end of the wire member is provided with ahook portion 56 which tightly engages the reduced diameter portion ofthe rod 40 within groove 42.

The member 44 is preferably formed with the loops 46 in the flat withthe portions 48 and 54. Thereafter, each successive loop 46 is bentangularly to the general plane of the wire member so as to be locatedparallel to an alternate loop 46 and angularly to an adjacent loop.Thus, the loops 46 of this embodiment are not located in parallelrelationship to each other but in alternate parallel relationship.

The wire member 46 is preassembled to the rod 40 by sliding the rodthrough the loops 46 and then assembling the hook portions 52 to the rodwithin the groove 42. Thereafter this substantially is assembled to thesunshade 12 in the same manner as previously described. In thisembodiment of the invention, the portions 48 are linearly aligned andare located generally parallel to the rod 50. These portions and theportions 54 function as a series of torsion members tending to twist theloops 46 into the fiat so as to enhance the frictional engagement ofthese loops with the rod 40.

It will be noted with reference to FIGURES 2 and that the loops 28 and46 are shaped when they are twisted out of the fiat so as to conform tothe shapeof the inner surface of the pocket 24 of the sunshade andthereby avoid any unsightly appearance caused by portions of the loopsforcing the side walls 18 and 20 of the sunshade out of their normalshape.

Thus, this invention provides an improved sunshade assembly.

I claim:

1. A vehicle body sunshade assembly comprising, a

support rod adapted to be mounted on a vehicle body for movementrelative thereto, a sunshade including a pocket formed along onelongitudinal edge thereof, a wire member provided with a plurality ofloops joined by integral linear portions aligned longitudinally of thewire member, each of said loops straddling said support rod and havingportions thereof frictionally engaging spaced portions of said rod, saidlinear portions functioning as torsional members tending to twist saidloops relative to said support rod to enhance the frictional engagementtherebetween, said Wire member and said support rod being receivedwithin said sunshade pocket to mount said sunshade on said support rod.

2. A sunshade assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said loops areshaped to conform to the general shape of said pocket and said linearportions are located adjacent a longitudinal wall of said pocket.

3. A vehicle body sunshade assembly comprising, a support rod adapted tobe mounted on a vehicle body for movement relative thereto, a sunshade,a wire member provided with a plurality of loops joined by integrallinear portions aligned longitudinally of the wire member, each of saidloops straddling said support rod and having portions thereoffrictionally engaging spaced portions of the rod, the linear portionsfunctioning as torsional members tending to twist the loops relative tothe support rod to increase the frictional engagement between the loopsand the rod, means frictionally securing the opposite end portions ofthe wire member to the support rod, and means securing the wire memberto the sunshade to mount the sunshade on the rod for adjustment relativethereto.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,703,254 3/1955 Shockey 296 972,908,517 10/ 1959 Peras. 3,150,896 9/1964 Plattner 296-97 BENJAMINHERSH, Primary Examiner.

J. A. PEKAR, Assistant Examiner.

1. A VEHICLE BODY SUNSHADE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING, A SUPPORT ROD ADAPTED TOBE MOUNTED ON A VEHICLE BODY OR MOVEMENT RELATIVE THERETO, A SHUNSHADEINCLUDING A POCKET FORMED ALONG ONE LONGITUDINAL EDGE THEREOF, A WIREMEMBER PROVIDED WITH A PLURALITY OF LOOPS JOINED BY INTEGRAL LINEARPORTIONS ALIGNED LONGITUDINALLY OF THE WIRE MEMBER, EACH OF SAID LOOPSSTRADDLING SAID SUPPORT ROD AND HAVING PORTIONS THEREOF FRICTIONALLYENGAGING SPACED PORTIONS OF SAID ROD, SAID LINEAR PORTIONS FUNCTIONINGAS TORSIONAL MEMBERS TENDING TO TWIST SAID LOOPS RELATIVE TO SAIDSUPPORT ROD TO ENHANCE THE FRICTIONAL ENGAGEMENT THEREBETWEEN, SAID WIREMEMBER AND SAID SUPPORT ROD BEING RECEIVED WITHIN SAID SUNSHADE POCKETTO MOUNT SAID SUNSHADE ON SAID SUPPORT ROD.